Hot and Sweaty

Still can't get over the view from my room

This past week was by far, the hottest yet. The highs were in the 90s every day, and the worst part about the city, is that it just traps the heat. The tall buildings seem force the heat to stay on the streets and the asphalt just magnifies it. You have heat above you and heat below you, making it extremely uncomfortable to be outside for long periods of time.

Degas

I got off of work early on the 3rd since the next day was a holiday, and so Will and I went to the Met for the afternoon. Although I am often overwhelmed by the size of the museum, its size is nice because you can see a new exhibit every time you go. I really wanted to see the Durer exhibit since I had studied some of his works in relation to Leonardo last semester, and Will wanted to check out all of the photography. We saw a quite interesting exhibit on photography and the naked body, which examined how the human form has influenced how we take photos, and what we take photos of in general. It was a very neat exhibit, but when we approached the last image of an African male, a woman behind us made a comment that could not be ignored. She made note of his "endowment," and although Will and I had been very mature throughout all of the images, we lost it when she commented on his "size." We quickly moved towards the exit as we could not contain our laughter at her remarks. As an art history major, I have seen all sorts of nude artwork, and have thus learned how to interpret and appreciate it, but every now and then, I can't help it when my immature-middle-school-I've-never-seen-a-naked-body-laughter comes out.

Will at the Met!

Will and I explored the museum for another hour or so, visiting one of my favorite rooms, the Impressionists, and then left when it closed around 5:30. I could sit and look at a Monet or Derain painting for hours if you let me.

On the 4th, Ashley and I got up early and went to the gym. After our workout, we walked along 5th ave to partake in some of the amazing summer sales. Although I was feeling pretty broke since I hadn't been paid yet, I purchased a great coral colored sun hat from JCrew (for only $12!) for the polo match this weekend.

After some shopping, we went back home to shower and change and stay out of the heat for a while. Later that night, we met up with some friends and had dinner at a restaurant/bar called Traffic in Hells Kitchen. The service was pretty awful but it was nice to hang out with friends and catch up. From there, we walked along the highway and watched the Macy's fireworks. They were pretty awesome, but the crowds plus the heat made the experience a little bit tiring. In the end, I had a nice 4th of July and can now say that I have seen the fireworks in NYC. Next year though, its time for the Hamptons...